By Riley Kaminer
It will be the marriage of two of the most exciting global tech ecosystems. On October 27th and 28th, major players from Miami’s ecosystem will have the opportunity to learn about the best of the Latin American and Caribbean tech ecosystem.
The upcoming TechBeach Retreat in Miami Beach will showcase a broad range of local speakers: Shutterstock founder Jon Oringer, Global Entrepreneurship Network Chairman Jeff Hoffman, investor Moishe Mana, and TechStars Miami Managing Director Andres Barreto – just to name a few.
TechBeach co-founder and serial entrepreneur Kyle Maloney told Refresh Miami that the event is focused on bringing value to founders. “Our goal is to help create partnerships between founders from Latin America and the Caribbean, and our corporate partners and investors.”
Organizers expect between 150 and 200 attendees. “We’re beginning small and very focused because we really want to drive tangible outcomes for participants,” explained Maloney.
“We don’t want this to just be another social event where people go just to be seen,” Maloney added. “We want to hear about who closed deals, who met whom. This is an event where business will happen.”
Education will also be an important component to TechBeach Retreat’s panels and fireside conversations. For instance, Maloney mentioned opportunities for founders to learn about how to spearhead a successful fundraise.
Already, TechBeach has secured a series of major corporate partners for its Miami event, including EY, AWS, and Twilio.
TechBeach, which Maloney co-founded alongside Miami-based entrepreneur Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, has a staff of nine employees distributed around the world, with hubs in Maloney’s home country of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. (This is a different organization from Tech Beach, a longstanding Miami Beach-based meetup group.)
There are two main reasons why Miami made sense for this event. First, logistically it is easy for people from around the world to fly into Miami – and relatively inexpensive for founders from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Second, Maloney noted that they were drawn to the rapidly-growing nature of Miami’s ecosystem. “Given the growth that we’ve seen over the last couple of years, it gave us even more reason to come to Miami.”
“It’s about us tapping into that Miami ecosystem, and seeing how we can continue to build bridges with the talent and the people and the opportunities that exist there,” Maloney continued. “That way, we continue to build on this overall community that is a lot more interconnected – or has that opportunity to be a lot more interconnected – than it has been in the past.”
The TechBeach team also hopes to spread the world about the global opportunities for Miami- and US-based investors. “The Jamaica Stock Exchange has seen phenomenal growth and produced great returns,” Maloney noted. Speaking to Refresh Miami from a trip in Colombia, Maloney highlighted the rise of EdTech in the region – not least of which is Colombian unicorn Platzi.
“It is our responsibility as our platform to shine light on these opportunities, and be that bridge for capital that is looking for new opportunities to be able to come in and see what is possible,” said Maloney.
WHAT: TechBeach Retreat
WHEN: October 27th and 28th
WHERE: Miami Beach
WHO: Founders, investors, tech companies, and corporates
HOW: Learn more and secure your ticket to TechBeach’s Miami retreat by visiting their website.
Photo at top of post: A recent TechBeach Retreat in Jamaica.
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